This seems a odd spot to talk about the band “Coldplay” but apparently the music from the piano guys is drawing comments from fans of the Coldplay band to this place; so here goes:

The Band called Coldplay

The band has been in existence since January 16th 1998

Band Interests: the people

Members of the band Coldplay

It should be noted that while fans like to know all sorts of thing about the stars; the stars however don’t necessarily like to release personal family information to the public as the private lives of the stars might differ significantly from the image they put forward in show-business.

The band was formed by a bunch of friends at university; and they were:

Guy Berryman “The very handsome one who plays bass”

Jonny Buckland “The wise one who plays guitar”

Will Champion “The frightening one who plays drums”

Chris Martin “The other one, who sings”

The band also makes special mention of Phil Harvey: “The wise, handsome, frightening one who tells us what to do” [facebook: accessed 2012]

Chris Martin – lead singer/guitarist/pianist

The oldest of five children. His father was Anthony Martin and mother was Alison Martin (music teacher).

He has also become involved in politics at times and even criticized the government:

“Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign. He personally traveled to Ghana and Haiti to meet farmers and view the effects of unfair trade practices.” [wiki accessed 2012]

“Vocal critic of President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq.” [wiki accessed 2012]

Supporter of political candidates–possibly in line with political criticism.

Jonny Buckland – Lead guitarist

Grew up with his brother and is reported as being shy

His brother encouraged him to play music

He’s often called “Jonny Boy” by Chris, who also made this famous quote: “There would be no Coldplay music without Jonny Buckland.”

Experienced a major move of household to new area at a young age

Was a vegetarian for a time but gave it up while on tour in Japan

Guy Berryman – Bassist

Born in Scotland

His father was a engineer and that might have been what influenced him to take up engineering in university. He found engineering difficult (many do) and shifted to architecture–he did not finish his studies due to commitments in the band

Marathon runner

Has experience with running a business and shows interests in getting into business or starting a company

Known to be “soft spoken” whatever that means. He is media shy and doesn’t like attention

Will Champion – drummer

Born in England

Parents were teachers who encouraged him to learn music

Father was professor of archaeology and his mother a Doctor of Prehistoric Archaeology–so perhaps that means his parents had a life like Indiana Jones?

Keir Dullea

Why this actor belongs here with coldplay, I have no idea. Let’s just ignore it and get on with describing this person.

Born in the United States of America: Cleveland, Ohio

Son of two bookstore owners

While Keir Dullea had been recognized for his work in films, he prefers stage work

Lived through turbulent era of Vietnam War

Married four times

American actor best known for the character of astronaut and scientist David Bowman whom is the last survivor of the crew aboard the spaceship Discovery. He survives by defeating the intelligent supercomputer HAL 9000.

David Bowman whom Keir Dullea portrayed in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, is eventually confronted by a “monolith” that transforms him into something else.

Chris Martin and the other members of the British band Coldplay, set to play at tomorrow night’s Grammy Awards, have a mighty big secret they’re hiding in their genes. And it’s not just what the kooky name of their latest album, Mylo Xyloto, means.

It turns out that Chris, Will, Guy, and Jonny are secretly half-brothers, all the offspring of sixties film star, Keir Dullea. He’s the pretty blond floating in an astronaut’s outfit in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. (Methinks the film’s sequel, 2010, has a wee something to do with the naming of MX, though the bonus points come for spotting an odd possible link to Canadian hockey!)

While one can imagine the Coldplay chaps enjoying their secret connection to each other and such a famous pretend space explorer, Keir Dullea had a little secret, too. His own secret parents were early Hollywood actors, who met while filming “Romeo and Juliet”.

His mother was a famed beauty and his father a quirky character actor with a two-toned voice. Yes, two notes came out at the same time when he spoke or sang! It was so unusual that folks were worried he wouldn’t make the leap from silent movies to sound. Silly folks! Freakishness always pays off in life!

Which explains those great Coldplay harmonies. The band members are not only singing with the same voice, but all potentially share a genetic oddity that produces a rich double-tone, letting Chris Martin warble the simplest of sad melodies with a curiously undulating richness.

And whoever was in charge of bring Keir Dullea’s musical boys together also had some fun with naming them. Each is the son of an actress who was in a film with Keir Dullea that was released the year of their birth.

Due to some clever wordplay and spitting-image resemblances, it’s not hard to figure out from whose womb Chris, Will, Guy, and Jonny sprang forth. Only frontman Chris Martin lacks a label suggesting a clear co-star connection, though his mum’s short and snappy first name does make a shuffled show in his last.

Here’s a clue: Chris Martin and his lovely wife Gwyneth Paltrow share the same stunning Hollywood beauty for a mum. She had a gaggle of kids and was married to Woody Allen, and accounts for Chris and Gwyneth producing adorably blond haired identi-children with noticeably ethereal Great Gatsbyesque looks. Great-grandparents were Mel Ferrer and Ruth Nelson, connecting Keir’s mother and Gwyneth’s grandmother back to music hall stunner, Ruth Vincent, curiously making the couple second cousins, too.

Though in my humble opinion, little Apple Martin looks a tidy bit more like that astronaut grandfather of hers as he floats through space envisioning a future pop band of handsome sons, each with a half-sister wife and their secret dad’s identity cleverly anagrammed into their globally-recognized moniker.

Steven Hedges writes each Saturday on pop culture riddles. This is his first column.